2004 ncg risk_assessment

Risk assessment- your ticket to safety on board

risiko_original_eng 03.02.2004 12:19 Side 1

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Contents

Risk assessment – your ticket to safety on board 4

What is risk assessment? 6

How to go about it 8

Other ways and means 10

Risk assessment in practice 12

- Use of chemicals 14

- Risk assessment on a fishing vessel 16

Everyone has a responsibility 18

Useful information 19



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Risk assessmentRisk assessment– your ticket to safety on board– your ticket to safety on board

The shipowner and master are responsiblefor planning, organisingand the carrying out ofrisk assessments onboard. To ensure smoothimplementation, the

shipping company needsa risk assessment systemat a strategic level. TheNorwegian MaritimeDirectorate recommendsthat shipowners imple-ment such systems evenfor their vessels for whichsuch systems are notrequired. The protectionsupervisor and the pro-tection and environmentcommittee on board

To prevent unwanted

events on board it is

important to assess

situations which may

cause accidents or

damage to health.

By systematically

mapping different

work operations,

effective measures

may be implemented

and serious

consequences may

be avoided.

Who isresponsiblefor what?



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should be involved, torepresent the interests ofemployees and makesure the shipping company follows up its responsibilities.

The main objective ofthis pamphlet is to provide guidance onhow to get started withrisk assessment and isprimarily aimed at ship-

ping companies, sea-farers and fishers – at alllevels of the organisation.

The pamphlet does notprovide any ready madeanswers. In addition toexplanatory text we havehowever chosen to provide some simple illustrations which maybe used in establishingrisk assessment systems.

◆ Safety costs, accidents cost more

◆ A safe workplace is an effective workplace

◆ More safety – less accidents

Everyone is

responsible

To ensure the best

possible working

environment at sea,

all hands have to

pull together.



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Risk assessment is a detailed and systematic evaluation of all realand potential sources of danger, and must be carried out regularly.The purpose is to identify all reasonably foreseeable risks connectedto the work on board, and to determine whether the risk is accep-table, or if preventive1 or corrective2 measures are called for. Riskassessments should lead to appropriate procedures, identify needsof protective equipment and safety measures to reduce the risk ofpersonal injury, and require preparatory and supplementary work.

The requirement for risk assessment of work operations is part ofthe Regulation of 4 August 2000 No. 808 concerning the workingenvironment, health and safety of workers on board ship.

The Regulation must be incorporated in the safety management sys-tem as required by the ISM Code. Where there is no requirementfor a safety management system, the Regulation should be part of astrategic plan. An example is the "Safety Manual for Fishing Vessels",which is based on the principles of the ISM Code.

When must risk assessment be carried out?Risk assessment should uncover dangers that employees may beexposed to on board. This entails that all work operations have tobe analysed. Risk assessments as part of the company’s accident pre-vention program should be carried out regularly. It is on board theindividual ship that the frequency of risk assessment has to be deter-mined. In addition, risk assessment should be carried out when:

• new equipment and new technologies are introduced.• changes in organisational structure or work planning have

consequences for the safety and health of employees.

1 Prevent an unwanted event from occurring2 Prevent an unwanted event from reoccurring

What is risk assessment?



If an unwanted event or accident occurs on board, risk assessmenthas to be carried out with the aim of preventing the event fromreoccurring.

Requirements for documentationRisk assessments must be documented. Our inspections have revealed that often no documentation exists to show that riskassessments have been carried out. Documentation is also important for the transfer of knowledge and experience. The documentation should:

• illustrate hazards related to particular work operations.• be in written form and updated on a regular basis.• be easily accessible to all employees on board.

"Safe Job Analysis"Many shipping companies have established systems where "safe jobanalysis" is an entrenched tool the use of which yields good results."Safe Job Analysis" contains many of the same elements and has thesame purpose as the requirement contained in the Regulation, andis therefore a good basis for the implementation of the requirement.In many instances "Safe Job Analysis" is almost identical to theRegulation so that few adjustments are necessary.

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Mooring x x x

Loading/unloading x x x

Painting x x

Welding x x x

High pressure washing x

Rigging gangway x x x

Sand-blasting x

Lifeboat drill x x x x

Etc.

How to go about it

In risk assessment, it may be difficult to know where to begin. Theexample below illustrates different work operations on the ship andmay help in analysing the different types of hazards that may beencountered. The form may be adapted to suit different types ofship and work.

Hazard

Workoperation

Fall toalowerlevel

Struckby fallingobject

Expo-sure tochemi-cals

Inhala-tion ofgases

Fire Explo-sion

Burn Hit byobject

Crush-inginjuri-es

Etc



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Does the work operationinvolve risk of injury?

Is the work operationnecessary to carry out?

NO

NO

YES

YES

Implement the measures!

End of initial exercise

Are there other ways ofperforming the work operation?

Carry out risk assessment anddetermine measures to reduce risk to

an acceptable level!

Carry out risk assessment on aregular basis, when unwanted eventsoccur, and review if work operation

changes significantly!

NO

YES

Is the work operation reasonableand practicable?NO

YES

Is there still risk of personal injury by performing the work operation?

The work operationis permitted when

needed!

NO

YES

A model that provides an overview:The model below can be used to give the necessary "overview" ofthe situation, before the specific risk assessment of the work operation starts.



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"Personal protective equipment/preventive measurenot relevant to the injury? "It must be indicated in the personal injury report forms whether or notprotective equipment or preventive measures were used when the acci-dent happened, or if they are not considered to have been relevant inpreventing the injury. Half of all reports on personal injuries from 1995to 2002 on fishing vessels do not indicate whether protective equip-ment was used or preventive measures were implemented. In the cate-gory maritime transport the corresponding percentage is 14.88. A full39.2% of the personal injury reports for maritime transport and 24.7%of fishing and catching indicate that protective equipment or preventive measures were not relevant as to whether the accident happened or not.

Risk assessment should be as realistic as possible. Do not forget that employees may have useful and important experiences to contribute. These include personal experiences and knowledge ofpersonal injury reports that relate to one’s own shipboard experience, knowledge of situations that should have been dealtwith, or general knowledge about the conditions on board a ship.

Statistics is another useful tool in discovering unwanted events. TheNorwegian Maritime Directorate’s personal injury statistics may beof help in determining where measures should be implemented.

0 %

20 %

40 %

60 %

80 %

100 %

Fishing/catching Sea transport

Not relevant

No/wrong use/violation

Used

Not indicated

Other ways and means



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It is likely that this is because the necessary risk assessment has notbeen carried out, and the reasons are probably that:

• the crew considers that there is no need for risk assessment.• the need for risk assessment of parts of particular work opera-

tions has been neglected.• there is a lack of procedures for risk assessments.

Some examples of measures which are not considered to be relevant but often areCleaning is not considered to be one of the most risky work operati-ons on a ship. However, personal injury reports received by theNorwegian Maritime Directorate indicate that injuries occurringwhen sweeping, washing or cleaning, are quite common.

• In more than 25% of all reported injuries in the period 1995-2002, involving cleaning operations on fishing and catchingvessels, preventive measures were not considered relevant tothe injury.

• For vessels engaged in maritime transport in the period 1995to 2002, injuries during cleaning operations constitute6.55% of all personal injuries. In 40% of these cases, protec-tive equipment/preventive measures were not consideredrelevant to the injury.

The cause of many of these injuries is contact with dangerous sub-stances. In many cases protective equipment and/or preventivemeasures should have been used.

Injuries in connection with maintenance – in the engine room andother maintenance – make up 26% of all injuries in the categorymaritime transport. In almost one case out of every four it is statedthat there was no preventive measure that could have been used.Keeping in mind the potential risk elements connected to work inengine rooms, maintenance of the engine room is an area wherepreventive measures at all levels need to be implemented.



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Risk assessment in practice

Below are provided several practical examples of risk assessment ofwork operations. The examples are not exhaustive, but illustrate theelements that should be included.

Maintenance Risk assessment no. XX Audit no. X

Concerns: Deck crew

Work operation: Painting over the side of the ship

Hazard: Fall into water and possible drowning

Preventive measures: • Check that ropes are free from damage.• Check that rope ladder is free from damage.• Check that fastening of ropes and ladder is in order• Inflatable lifejacket must be used.• Line with lifebuoy attached rigged where the lifebuoy

floats in the water.

Provisioning Risk assessment no. XX Audit no. X

Concerns: Deck crew

Work operation: Provisioning over gangway/ramp

Hazard: Fall from the gangway/ramp and end up between ship’s side and the dockside

Preventive measures: • Ensure that gangway/ramp is fastened securely on board and on the dock.

• Ensure that handrails and safety nets have been rigged.• Line with lifebuoy has been rigged where the lifebuoy

floats in the water underneath the gangway.• Inflatable life-jacket should be used.



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Hazardous work place Risk assessment no. XX Audit no. X

Concerns: Engine room personnel

Work operation: Work in the engine room

Hazard: The engine room is a high risk working area where the probability of injury is great, no matter what the work operation:• Objects may fall down onto the platform level.• Oil spilled on to the deck may make it slippery.• Oil pipes or steam pipes may crack and one may be sprayed

with inflammable / hazardous liquid.• One may hit one’s head on hard objects.

Preventive measures: When in the engine room, personal protective equipment should always be used: hardhat, hearing protection, gloves, boiler suit, protective boots.



Certain work operations require a more thorough examination than others,of which the use of chemicals is an example. Below are listed certain pointsthat highlight potential hazards in using chemicals. The datasheets that areto be included with the chemicals and kept on board contain vital information.

That chemicals are dangerous could mean that they:• are hazardous to health (and may cause reactions).• are inflammable.• are explosive.• have either very high or very low temperatures.• displace the oxygen in the air.• may lead to dangerous reactions.

You may be exposed to risk if you:• inhale polluted air.• inhale oxygen-deficient air.• get chemicals directly on your skin

– either by touch or because of spray.• swallow some of the chemical.• get close to a fire or an explosion.

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Use of chemicals



Before starting work involving chemicals

1. What does the work entail?• Which chemicals are to be used?• How are they to be handled?

2. Which dangerous attributes does the product have?• If inhaled?• If skin contact?• Is it inflammable/explosive?

3. Where and when in the work may there be danger?• Accumulation of gas?• Skin contact?• Are there any incendiaries in the vicinity that can cause sparks

or flames?

4. What can happen if something goes wrong, as for example a power cut or a leakage?

• Fire/risk of explosion?• Unconsciousness?

5. Are preventive measures needed?• Is the exposure as low as possible (including an evaluation if a

different and less dangerous chemical can be used)?• Have steps been taken to avoid a fire/an explosion?• What measures are to be taken if there is an accident?• Is protective equipment available?

6. How is the work to be carried out?• Select work method, equipment, place and preventive measures.• Have instructions, emergency preparedness and information been

prepared?

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Fishing and catching operations Risk assessment no. XX Audit no. X

Concerns: Employees on fishing vessels incl. trawlers

Work operation: Hauling the trawl / getting the catch on board • Skipper directs haul-speed taking factors such as depth

and current into consideration, as well as manoeuvring the vessel into correct position for the trawl gear.

• Winch operator on deck/bridge.

Hazard: • Because of the great loads on wires, blocks and block brackets, wires may break or block bracket may fail, with the result that persons in the vicinity may be fatally struck.

• During handling of heavy equipment injuries may occur.• Because of excessive noise from winches with fittings

during hauling of gear, noise related injuries may occur.

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Risk assessment on a fishing vessel

Work on board a fishing vessel presents many elements of risk because ofthe movements of the vessel and the desire to complete the work effectively and speedily. It is therefore of the utmost importance that thoseresponsible for safety on board fishing vessels assess the risks involved. An example of the elements that should be included is provided below.



Preventive measures: • The trawl deck must be clear and loose objects secured.

• No persons on deck and in the vicinity of the trawl gallows during hauling of the trawl.

• Hard hat, life-jacket, protective footwear, hearing protection and gloves must be worn.

• Nobody must get close to the doors before these are in place.

• After disconnecting the doors no one must move out into the trawl lane before the equipment is in place.

• Continuous monitoring must be carried out to check that mantel wire and strops are undamaged before and during hauling of the cod-end or bag.

• The trawl door must be closed as soon as the cod-end or bag are on board.

• Caution must be shown on deck when the fish haul hatches are open and the cod-end or bag are opened and emptied.

• All crew members involved in the hauling process should be made aware of the location and correct operation of all safety related equipment on board the vessel, including the use of emergency stop.

• All observed damage to the equipment is to be reported immediately to the net man.

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The work supervisor will, particularly on a larger vessel, go throughwhat is to be done before work starts, and provide advice about anypotential hazards and use of protective equipment. However, every-one has a responsibility to ensure that the workplace is as safe aspossible at all times, and that work operations are performed inaccordance with stated plans and procedures.

As an employee you should in any case, before a job begins, askyourself these questions:

• How is the job to be carried out?• What can go wrong?• Which measures have to be taken to avoid danger?• Who is to be informed?

Everyone who works on board has both a right

and a duty to stop work that risks life and limb.

Everyone has a responsibility



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Rules and regulations• Seamen’s Act of 30 May 1975 No. 18• Regulation of 4 August 2000 No. 808 concerning the

working environment, health and safety of workers on board ship

• Regulation of 11 January 2001 No. 21 concerning protectionof employees from exposure to chemicals

• Regulation of 15 June 1987 No. 507 concerning safety measures etc. on passenger ships, cargo ships and lighters

• The ISM Code

Publications• Factsheets (only in Norwegian)

– Risk assessment in preventive OSH work– Inspection of seafarers’ working and living conditions– Statistics on personal injuries at sea– Personal injuries – injuries during lifeboat drills– Handling and storage of chemicals

• Personal safety messages from the Norwegian MaritimeDirectorate

• Safety brochures for fishermen• "Safety manual for fishing vessels"• The Norwegian Maritime Directorate’s personal injury

statistics• Navigare

Safety videos/films• "Everyone has a responsibility" ("Alle har et ansvar")• "The ISM Code in practice" ("ISM-koden i praksis)• Occupational Safety and Health video for fishermen

(to be released end 2003)

Useful information



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